How do I create a partnership between a blood bank and a milk bank to provide safe,pasteurized human milk to infants?

The now 5-year collaboration between the Indiana Blood Center, now Versiti Blood Center of Indiana, and The Milk Bank has increased the number of human milk donors, improved the collection and processing of donor milk, and improved awareness of this lifesaving resource. The Indiana Blood Center provides greater visibility for The Milk Bank, creating more opportunities to reach potential donors, and can provide the screening blood test for potential donors to become approved human milk donors. The resources of the multiple locations of the Indiana Blood Center permitted the formation of new milk depots in five different cities and quicker transportation of donated milk through their active courier system. This partnership most importantly has improved awareness for both lifesaving missions to the communities they serve.     

How do I implement a whole blood–based blood preparedness program in a small rural hospital?

Civilian and military guidelines recommend balanced transfusion to patients with life-threatening bleeding. Early start of transfusion has shown improved survival. Thus, a balanced blood inventory must be available in all levels of health care to ensure early stabilization and damage control resuscitation of patients with bleeding. Whole blood has been reintroduced as a blood product for massive bleeding situations because it affords plasma, red blood cells, and platelets in a balanced ratio in a logistically advantageous way. In this article, we describe how to establish a whole blood–based blood preparedness program in a small rural hospital with limited resources. We present an implementation tool kit, which includes discussions on whole blood program strategies and the process of developing detailed procedures on donor selection, collection, storage, and transfusion management of whole blood. The importance of training and audit of the routines is highlighted, and establishment of an emergency walking blood bank is discussed. We conclude that implementation of a whole blood program is achievable in small rural hospitals and recommend that rural health care facilities at all treatment levels enable early balanced transfusion for patients with life-threatening bleeding by establishing protocols for whole blood–based preparedness.     

How do I… facilitate a rapid response to a public health emergency requiring plasma collection with a public–private partnership?

In March 2020, there were no treatment options for COVID-19. Passive immune therapy including anti-SARS-CoV-2 hyperimmune globulin (hIVIG) was a logical candidate for COVID-19 therapeutic trials, given past success treating emerging pathogens with endogenous neutralizing antibodies. We established a plasma collection protocol for persons recovered from COVID-19. To speed recruitment in the first U.S. hotspot, Seattle, Washington, federal and state public health agencies collaborated with Bloodworks Northwest to collect convalescent plasma (CP) for manufacturing hIVIG. During March–December 2020, we identified and recruited prospective CP donors via letters to persons recovered from COVID-19 with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Prospective donors were pre-screened and administered a medical history survey. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody (NAb) titers were classified as qualifying (≥1:80) or non-qualifying (<1:80) for enrollment based on a live virus neutralization assay. Generalized estimating equations were used to identify characteristics of donors associated with qualifying versus nonqualifying NAb titers. Overall, 21,359 letters resulted in 3207 inquiries, 2159 prescreenings with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 573 donors (27% of all pre-screenings with confirmed infection) who provided a screening plasma donation. Of 573 donors screened, 254 (44%) provided plasma with qualifying NAb titers, resulting in 1284 units for hIVIG manufacture. In a multivariable model, after adjusting for other factors, time (60 days) from COVID-19 symptom onset to screening was associated with lower odds of qualifying NAb (adjusted odds ratio = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.48–0.94). The collaboration facilitated a rapid response to develop and provide hIVIG for clinical trials and CP for transfusion. Only 1 in 12 donor inquiries resulted in a qualifying plasma donation. Challenges included recruitment and the relatively low percentage of persons with high NAb titers and limited screening capacity. This resource-intensive collaboration may not be scalable but informs preparedness and response strategies for plasma collection in future epidemics. Operational readiness plans with templates for screening, consent, and data collection forms are recommended.